Recently, myself and several other of the Sotonbloggers were invited to the opening of the new Southampton Solent Conference Centre – The Spark. I graduated from Solent just over two years ago now and ever since I found out they had bought the plot of land next to the East Park Terrace, I have been patiently waiting to see the outcome. The theme for the evening was a Summer garden party wth a dress code of fancy florals and lovely linen.

The show stopper of the conference centre and the first thing you will notice is the Pod. Situated in the heart of the building hosting a lecture theatre or meeting space, this innovative design is truly spectacular. With an open top viewing platform, this truly is a phenomenal piece of architecture creating a focal point for the building. For the evening it was turned into a pop up photo booth with props galore and a eager queue of visitors all night donning colourful wigs and eccentric outfits.

The theme for the event was a Summer garden party and the venue was adorn with gorgeous flowers and vibrant colours. After being greeted with glasses of fizz and canapes, we were given time to network before being sat down in the atrium for a three course meal. The table set up were absolutely stunning with our starter being served on a picnic bench platter creating a wonderful centre piece for the table. This was followed by citrus chicken with beetroot salad and a raspberry, vanilla and white chocolate mousse. All the food was provided by the Artisan and was absolutely divine, perfectly complimented by the live music performed throughout.

After dinner there was a raffle hosted by a Gorgon Ramsay impersonator who was freakily identical and I was lucky enough to win a picnic basket for two courtesy of Solent University. We were then given free reign to explore the building with various activities set up around the venue including: a sweet cart; circus themed showcase with facepainting and balloon modelling; and a Speakeasy 30’s themed bar.

Overall it was a wonderful evening spent with the girls I am very envious of all the students who will get to use the building in their daily university life. If your ever in need of a space for meetings, events, conferences or even weddings then make sure you check out their website here. A big thank you to Sotonbloggers for taking me along and Solent University for the invitation.